InvesTrust Invests $7.12 Million in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS)

InvesTrust bought a new stake in The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 64,037 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock, valued at approximately $7,118,000. Walt Disney makes up approximately 2.0% of InvesTrust’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DIS. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 7,637.8% during the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 225,788 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 222,870 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Walt Disney by 132.1% during the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 50,978 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $5,060,000 after purchasing an additional 29,010 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Walt Disney by 36,460.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 3,656 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 3,646 shares during the last quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walt Disney by 142.4% in the second quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,885 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $1,677,000 after purchasing an additional 9,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 1.6% during the second quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 760,620 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $75,522,000 after buying an additional 11,796 shares during the last quarter. 65.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walt Disney Price Performance

NYSE DIS traded down $1.24 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $110.15. The company had a trading volume of 4,181,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,848,267. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.65, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.43. The Walt Disney Company has a 52 week low of $83.91 and a 52 week high of $123.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.28.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The entertainment giant reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 9.21% and a net margin of 5.44%. The business had revenue of $22.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Walt Disney Company will post 5.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Walt Disney Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This is a boost from Walt Disney’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.45. Walt Disney’s payout ratio is currently 36.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on DIS. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Walt Disney in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walt Disney from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Walt Disney from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.54.

Insider Transactions at Walt Disney

In other news, EVP Brent Woodford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.62, for a total transaction of $568,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 44,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,005,529.10. This represents a 10.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert A. Iger sold 372,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.57, for a total value of $42,667,242.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,980,695.19. The trade was a 62.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 385,412 shares of company stock valued at $44,153,263 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Walt Disney

The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.